Pietas in patriam the life of His Excellency Sir William Phips, Knt. late Captain General and Governour in Chief of the province of the Massachuset-Bay, New England, containing the memorable changes undergone, and actions performed by him / written by one intimately acquainted with him.

SECT. 7.

I am willing to Employ the Testimonies of others, as much as may be, to support the Credit of my Hi∣story:

And therefore, as I have hitherto related ••o more than what there are Others enough to avouch; Thus I shall choose the Words of an Ingenious Person Printed at London some Years ago, to express the Sum of what remains, whose Words are these,

It has al∣ways been Sir William Phips's Disposition to seek the Wealth of his People with as great Zeal and Unwea∣riedness, as our Publicans use to seek their Loss and Ruine. At first it seems, they were in hopes to gain this Gentleman to their Party, as thinking him Good-Natur'd, and easie to be flattered out of his Under∣standing; and the more, because they had the advan∣tage of some, no very good Treatment that Sir Willi∣am had formerly met with, from the People and Go∣vernment of New-England. But Sir William soon shewed them, that what they expected would be his Temptation to lead them into their little Tricks, he em∣braced as a Glorious Opportunity to shew his Genero∣sity and Greatness of Mind; for, in Imitation of the Greatest Worthies that have ever been, he rather chose to join in the Defence of his Country, with some Persons, who formerly were none of his Friends, t••a•• become the Head of a Faction, to its Ruine and ••esolation. It seems this Noble Disposition of Sir William, joined with that Capacity and good Success wherewith he hath been attended, in Raising himself by such an Occasion, as it may be, all things consi∣dered, has never happened to any before him, makes these Men apprehensive; — And it must needs heighten their trouble to see, that he neither hath, nor doth spare himself, nor any thing that is near and dear unto him, in promoting the Good of his Native Coun∣try.

When Sir William Phips was per ardua & aspera, thus Raised into an Higher Orb, it might easily be thought that he could not be without Charming Temptations to take the way on the left hand. But as the Grace of God kept him in the midst of none of the strictest Company, unto which his Affairs daily led him, from abandoning himself to the lewd Vices of Gaming, Drink∣ing,

Swearing and Whoring, which the Men that made England to sin, debauch'd so many of the Gentry into, and he deserved the salutations of the Roman Poet:

Cum Tu, inter scabiem tantam, & Contagia Lucri, Nil parvum sapias, & adhuc Sublimia cures:

Thus, he was worthy to pass among the Instances of Heroick Vertue for that Humility that still Adorned him: He was Raised, and though he prudently ac∣commodated himself to the Quality whereto he was now Raised, yet none could perceive him to be Lift∣ed up. Or, if this were not Heroick, yet I will Relate one Thing more of him, that must certainly be accounted so. He had in his own Country of New-England, met with Provocations, that were enough to have Alienated any man Living that had no more than Flesh and Blood in him, from the Service of it; and some that were Enemies to that Country, now lay hard at him to join with them, in their Endeavours to Ravish away their Ancient Liberties. But this Gen∣tleman had studied another way to Revenge himself upon his Country, and that was to serve it, in all ••ts Interests, with all of his, even with his Estate, ••••s Time, his Care, his Friends, and his very Life! The Old Heathen Vertue of PIETAS IN PATRIAM, or, LOVE TO ONES COƲNTRY, he turned into Chri∣stian; and so notably exemplified it, in all the Rest of his Life, that it will be an Essential Threed which is to be now interwoven into all that remains of his History, and his Character. Accordingly though he had the Offers of a very Gainful Place among the Commis∣sioners of the Navy, with many other Invitations to settle himself in England, nothing but a Return to New-England would content him. And whereas the Char∣ters of New-England being taken away, there was a Governour Imposed upon the Territories with as Arbitrary, and as Treasonable a Commission perhaps, as ever was heard of; a Commission, by which the Governour, with Three or Four more, none of whom were chosen

by the People, had Power to make what Laws they would, and Levy Taxes, according to their own Hu∣mours, upon the people; and he himself had Power to send the Best men in the Land, more than Ten Thousand miles out of it, as he pleased: And in the Execution of his Power, the Country was every day suffering Intollerable Invasions upon their Proprieties, yea, and the Lives of the Best Men in the Territory began to be practised upon: Sir William Phips applied himself to Consider what was the most significant Thing that could be done by him for that poor people, in their present Circumstances. Indeed, when King James offered, as he did, unto Sir William Phips an Opportu∣nity to Ask what he pleased of Him, Sir William Gene∣rously prayed for nothing but This, That New-England might have its Lost Priviledges Restored. The King then Replied, Any Thing but that! whereupon he set him∣self to Consider what was the Next Thing, that he might Ask for the service, not of himself but of his Country. The Result of his Consideration was, That by Petition to the King, he Obtained, with Expence of some Hun∣dreds of Guinea's, a Patent, which constituted him The High Sheriff of that Country; Hoping, by his Deputies. in that Office, to supply the Country still with Con∣scientious Juries, which was the Only Method that the New-Englanders had left them, to secure any thing that was Dear unto them. Furnished with this Patent after he had in Company with Sir John Narborough, made a Second Visit unto the Wreck (not so advantageous as the former, for a Reason already mentioned) in his way he Returned unto New-England, in the Sum∣aner of the Year 1688. able, after Five Years Ab∣sence, to Entertain his Lady with some Accomplish∣ment of his Predictions; and then Built himself a Fair Brick House in the very place, which wee foretold, the Reader can tell how many Sections ago. But the Infamous Government then Rampant there, found a way wholly to put by the Execution of this Patent; yea, he was like to have had his Person assassinated in the face of the Sun, before his own Door, which,

with some further Designs then in his Mind, caused him, within a few Weeks to take another Voyage for Ergland.